Method for installing an elevator inside a building, and assembly jigs used therefor

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a method of assembling an elevator within a building and the assembly jigs used therefor. According to this method, assembly jigs (1) including pre-positioned elevator elements such as rails, doors, counterweight and electrical conduit are positioned successively in a support shaft. These elements are secured without any other adjustment to the support shaft and the jig is then removed.

The present invention relates to a method of assembling an elevatorincluding a freight elevator (also herein referred to as a lift or goodslift) within a building and the assembly jigs used.

According to conventional techniques for assembling lifts in buildings,the lift or lifts are positioned when the structure of the building isfinished and in particular when the lift shaft is formed. The equipmentof the shaft (guide rails, doors and electric equipment for the lift) ispositioned level by level from fixed or mobile scaffolding.

This method has the drawback of depending to a large extent on theerection of the building structure so that the beginning of liftassembly is tardy and so finishing of the lift is delayed. Furthermore,numerous adjustments must be made for adapting the lift to the building,particularly at the level of the thresholds of the floors of thebuilding as well as the positioning of the guide rails.

The invention aims at overcoming these drawbacks and proposes a newmethod of assembling a lift or goods lift within a building,characterized in that it consists successively in :

positioning and fixing the guide and equipment elements for the lift,such as the cabin guide rails and counterweight, the doors, the ducts,the electric equipment and ducts, on at least one assembly jig ofpredetermined height, such that they are disposed geometrically withinthe space of the jig with respect to each other in the exact positionwhich they occupy when finally mounted in the support shaft;

positioning and fixing the jig or jigs successively heightwise from thepreviously formed shaft bottom as far as the highest floor of the lift,in the support shaft which exists or is to be built;

fixing said elements of the lift carried by the jig to the shaft if itexists or mounting the shaft so that the fixing points for theseelements are secured to the shaft during building thereof;

releasing said lift elements from the jig when they are fixed to thesupport shaft;

releasing the jig from its fixing points, and

removing the jig from said support shaft.

This arrangements means that the construction of the lift or of thegoods lift may begin prior to the erection of the structure of thebuilding and such erection may be carried out from the lift shaft. Inpractice, the construction of the lift will precede that of the buildingby one to several levels and advantageously by two floors.

Furthermore, the method makes possible a considerable saving in time andlabour on the worksite since the lift elements are already set in theirfinal position on the assembly jig and it is only a question of fixingthem without any other adjustment to the support shaft (existing or tobe built).

Thus, it is no longer necessary to store equipment elements on theworksite and the work conditions are much better particularly in so faras the difficulties and safety of execution are concerned.

Finally, the lift is rapidly available and may serve as a worksite goodslift for the building under construction.

The invention also relates to the assembly jigs for said method Theycomprise a rigid structure, made from metal for example, developed so asto correspond to the profile of the shaft and essentially designed forcarrying said lift elements and sliding along the walls of the liftshaft. This structure also carries scaffolding elements, such as workinglevels disposed successively heightwise and adjustable and which make itpossible to carry out the tasks level by level in all safety. The heightof the jig may be several floors but in practice it will be limited totwo floors.

The invention also relates to the lift or the goods lift thus obtained.

One embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference tothe accompanying drawings in which :

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembly Jig according to theinvention showing particularly the points at which the lift equipmentelements are fixed to this jig;

FIG. 2 shows an equipped jig and its positioning in the shaft;

FIG. 3 shows the equipment elements fixed to the lift shaft, theassembly jig having been removed;

FIG. 4 shows schematically the construction of the lift with itspartially built shaft relatively to the structure of the building, and

FIGS. 5 and 6 show respectively a guide rail fixing lug and sealingthereof in the wall of the shaft when the latter is made from castconcrete after positioning of the jig.

As shown in FIG. 1, the assembly jigs 1 used in the method of theinvention are each formed of a rigid frame 3 of a height correspondingto two floors of the lift and whose dimensions in the horizontal planeare slightly less than those of the inner section of the support shaft 5so as to make possible introduction thereof inside in the space providedfor this shaft, in the case where the latter has not yet been built. Onthis frame 3 are fixed scaffolding elements 7 and in particular threework levels 9 spaced apart heightwise and accessible from one to theother through traps 11 and ladders not shown. On these jigs are fixed(FIG. 2) the guide and equipment element of the list such as the guiderails 13 for the lift cabin, the guide rails 15 of the counterweight,the doors 17 and the electric equipment and ducts and counterweight notshown, these elements being prepositioned in the factory on the jig soas to correspond without any other adjustment to their final positionwhen the jig is correctly positioned in the space of the support shaft.The rails are fixed to bolt elements 19 (two per rail, one in the lowerpart and the other in the upper part of the jig) fixed to the jig, thelower ends of these rails being in the same horizontal plane. The boltelements 19 comprise a groove 23 widening downwards which receives theupper part of the lower guide rails already fixed to the support shaft,at the time of positioning the jig. This allows the jig to be positionedrelatively to the guide rails already laid. The precise positioning ofthe jig (its verticality/horizontality) during positioning in thesupport shaft, is obtained by three jacks 24 disposed in a triangle. Twoof these jacks are set on the upper fixing lugs 25 of the underlyingcabin guide rail fixed to the shaft and the third on the threshold 28 ofthe floor opening, or on the top wall of the shaft if it is not yetbuilt. These jacks support the jig through rigid portions 30, 32provided for this purpose on the latter. When the jig is exactlypositioned and fixed in position (by anchorage means) on the supportshaft previously formed beforehand (two floors) in the height directionof the jig (FIG. 4), the elements carried by the jig are fixed as theyare, without any other adjustment, to the latter (FIG. 2) throughadjustable fixing lugs 25 for the rails and to elements of the brackettype 26 for the doors 17.

When these elements are fixed to the shaft, they may be released fromthe jig. The latter may then be removed, by means of a crane forexample, after its fixing points to the shaft have been freed. At thistime, the assembly of the elements is set up on the two levels of theshaft as they appear in FIG. 3. The rails 13 of the cabin, the rails 15of the counterweight and the doors 17 can in particular be seen there.The electric elements, not shown, will be fitted in the free space. Therails 13, 15 from one jig to the next are connected together by plates(fish plates) not shown bolted to their back. It will be noted that therails may slide vertically on the bolts 19 if need be for the perfectcontinuity of the assembled rails.

The jig once removed can be re-used for further cycles of fitting saidlift elements, successively heightwise. The cabin counterweight may bebrought with the first jig laid at the previously formed shaft bottom ofthe lift and the lift cabin will be brought with the last jig to bemounted at the top of the shaft.

It will also noted that the jigs may be laid before the support shafthas been built. The latter may be cast from concrete. The fixing lugs25', of a special shape, (FIGS. 5 and 6) will be sealed directly intothe mass of the cast concrete. After drying, the elements are fixed tothe shaft, the jig may be removed in the same way as before.

The jigs may further be positioned after the structure of the buildinghas been finished; it is sufficient to leave the shaft open at its topso that the jigs may be lowered inside.

The height of the jig has been chosen in the example equal to twofloors, but a height of one to several floors of the building may alsobe suitable.

Shoes, possibly wheels, may equip the jig laterally for facilitatingguidance thereof in the shaft and ensuring the protection of theequipment carried.

We claim:
 1. A method of assembling an elevator within a buildingincluding a support shaft either already constructed or to beconstructed which comprises the steps of:positioning and fixing theguide and equipment elements for the lift, on at least one jig means (1)of predetermined height, such that they are disposed geometricallywithin the space of the jig means with respect to each other in theposition which they will occupy when finally mounted in the supportshaft (5); positioning and fixing the jig means (1) successivelyheightwise from the previously formed shaft bottom upwardly, in thesupport shaft (5); fixing said guide and equipment elements (13, 15, 17)of the elevator carried by the jig means to the shaft releasing saidguide and equipment elements (13, 15, 17) from the jig means when theyare fixed to the support shaft (5); and removing the jig means from saidsupport shaft (5).
 2. A method of assembling an elevator according toclaim 1, wherein the step of fixing said guide and equipment elements tothe shaft further comprises that the building of the support shaft (5)precedes assembly of the lift elements (13, 15, 17) over at least theheight of the jig means (1).
 3. A method of assembling a lift or goodslift according to claim 1, wherein the step of fixing said guide andequipment elements to the shaft further comprises that the shaft (5) ismade from cast concrete after the jig means (1) has been positioned, andfurther comprising the step of securing the fixing points (25') of saidelements directly in the cast concrete.
 4. An assembly jig used forassembling an elevator in a building within a support shaft alreadyconstructed or to be constructed which comprises: a rigid frame (3)whose height is at least equal to one floor of the building and whosedimensions in the horizontal plane are slightly less than those of theinner section of the support shaft (5) for allowing introduction of theframe inside the support shaft, said frame (3) including means forsimultaneously securing guide and equipment elements (13, 15, 17) of theelevator in a position to which they would be mounted to the shaft andat least one scaffolding level (9) suitable for supporting assemblypersonnel.
 5. An assembly jig as set forth in claim 4, and furthercomprising bolt elements (19) for securing rails (13, 15) to theassembly jig.
 6. An assembly jig according to one of claims 4 or 5,which further comprises said bolt elements (19) defining a groove (23)widening in the downward direction for receiving the upper part of theunderlying lower guide rails already fixed to the support shaft (5)during positioning of the jib to thereby align the lower portions ofrails affixed by bolt elements 19 to the jig with the upper part of theunderlying lower guide rails.
 7. An assembly jig according to claim 4which further comprises mechanical jack means (24), disposed in apattern to allow these jack means to position the jig by interaction ofthe jack means with fixed portions of the building to position the jig.